Known dialysate fluid circulation systems and apparatuses have separate housings wherein a first housing has a sorbent material capable of performing a first function such as releasing sodium into dialysate fluid flowing through the first housing, and a second housing has a material capable of performing another function such as binding sodium ions from dialysate fluid flowing through the second housing. However, such systems are not modular and customizable and are usually formed into a single housing design that limits flexibility and the possibility of customized use personalized to a particular patient. Moreover, such sorbent systems are one-size-fits-all and operate using similar amounts of sorbent materials across different treatment sessions regardless of the unique needs or dialysis parameters for a particular patient. Known sorbent systems also do not provide for recharging some or all of the components of a sorbent cartridge that would allow reuse of specific components and enable lower long-term costs for operating such systems, nor ease of manufacturing the separate sorbent housings. Providing for multiple sorbent materials within a single sorbent cartridge, or a single module of a sorbent cartridge, can also be problematic because fine particles in one of the layers can settle in and intermix into the other layers.
As such, there is a need for a system whereby the individual layers of sorbent materials within a sorbent cartridge can be kept separate while maintaining a unitary sorbent cartridge design. There is also a need for sorbent materials to be reusable or optionally detachable from and re-attachable in a modular and interchangeable design to allow for any one of disposal, recycling, recharging of sorbent material, or customized or personalized use of the sorbent materials. There is also a need for a sorbent packaging system that can allow dialysate to freely move into and out of the packaging while keeping the sorbent material inside the packaging. There is a need for a sorbent packaging made from a porous material that keeps the different sorbent materials separated from each other without requiring additional housings. Similarly, there is a need for a sorbent cartridge having a separation of materials within the sorbent cartridge to allow for isolation of those materials.
There is also a need for a sorbent packaging system, assembly or array, providing for isolation of one or more sorbent materials to allow for cheaper or non-reusable materials to be discarded, while more expensive and reusable materials are recharged. As such, there is a need for a sorbent partition such as a sorbent pouch or a system of sorbent pouches that can allow dialysate to freely move into and out of the sorbent pouch while keeping the sorbent material inside. There is a need for a sorbent pouch that keeps the different sorbent materials separated from each other, but still allows the sorbent materials to be used together in a customizable manner. There is also a need for facilitating ease of packaging and shipping using a modular interchangeable system to house sorbent materials. There is the need for providing an option for allowing sub-vendors to manufacture sorbent housing or separate assembly line fill production facilities from one another. There is also a need for providing a customized sorbent system wherein different layers of sorbent materials can be used together wherein each sorbent pouch is modular and interchangeable. There is also a need for reducing final assembly steps required in preparing a dialysis system for use. To combat counterfeiting, there is a need for isolating individual vendors from a sorbent manufacturing process wherein specific sorbent materials used for dialysis can be pre-filled separately. There is also a need for pre-filling a component housing sorbent materials at precise quantities to avoid user error.